The Velocity Micro Raptor DCX delivers the fastest performance we've ever seen, thanks to an aggressively overclocked Core 2 Extreme CPU. Because its price is $1,000 above that of the competition, however, we can't help but feel as though Velocity is buying a championship. That and recent case innovations from other vendors prevent us from giving it a higher rating.

It's not the fastest PC (it's second), nor is it the most competitively priced, but Alienware's Area-51 7500 does have the most innovative case. With a wholly customizable lighting scheme in its new chassis, Alienware makes case lights functional, a trick no one has really pulled off yet. That and its fast performance make it stand above other current high-end PCs.

We like that the new FX510XT gives you the option of purchasing a fully loaded, Intel Core 2 Extreme PC from Gateway, but it lacks the polish and the performance of other high-end systems. Its midtower case won't hog your desktop as much a full-tower PC, but that's not enough to help it stand out.

The CPU market is due for a lot of upheaval over the next 12 months, so you might be wise to wait for a clearer picture before plunking down $1,000 or so on Intel's new Core 2 Extreme QX9650 quad-core desktop processor. But if you want to claim ownership of the fastest multicore CPU around today, look no further.

Its case design has room for improvement, but for pure bang for your buck WinBook's PowerSpec 9800, with its factory-overclocked Core 2 Extreme CPU, makes a tempting offer. Look elsewhere if you want to make a strong visual impression, but its performance compares well to systems that cost hundreds more.